Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery and Burn Care
Plastic surgery covers a wide clinical range including congenital abnormalities, trauma, skin tumours, hand surgery, head and neck cancer surgery, breast reconstruction, facial reconstruction, microsurgery, and aesthetic surgery (as distinct from cosmetic surgery). Plastic surgery services have for many years worked in a hub and spoke arrangement often across a wide geographical area.
Hand surgery services are mixed between orthopaedic departments and plastic surgery departments, with activity in the majority of trusts also frequently working within hub and spoke models.
The best practice pathways for hand surgery and the guidelines for operating outside of main theatres have been developed by the British Society for Surgery of the Hand (BSSH) with the GIRFT programme (see bottom of page).
Burn care comes under specialised commissioning arrangements covered by four separate Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs).
The GIRFT workstream and its review of the specialty, led by consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Kenn Dunn, has concentrated on the issues of access to services, arguably one of the aspects most important to patients.
- Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery & Burn Care Clinical Lead
Ken Dunn
Plastic Surgery, Hand Surgery and Burn Care Clinical Lead
Mr Ken Dunn is a consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon at the Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. He is Director of the Manchester Burns Service and has an honorary appointment to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. His particular areas of interest lie in the organisation and funding of services and clinically in the management of wounds, scars and amputation stump problems. He specialises in complex wound and lower limb problems including urogenital reconstruction. He also brings his experience of post burn injury scarring and reconstruction to other areas of scar management.
He is a past Chairman of the British Burn Association, and a past member of Council of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (now called the British Association of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeons). He is currently the Medical Director of the International Burn Injury Database (iBID: www.ibidb.org).
Find out more about GIRFT’s data-led approach and best practice resources:
- Plastic surgery, hand surgery & burn care news